Sixty-three-year-old Dave Ostrander longingly scanned the rows of gleaming hot rods at the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association car show yesterday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. He was there to reminisce and admire the rides.

Seventeen-year-old Marissa Pettit took a deep breath and slid out from behind the wheel of her Acura at the Tire Rack Street Survival driving course yesterday in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. She was there to learn respect for the machine and appreciation for the responsibility of driving.

Those elements – passion and respect for automobiles – were the leading components of the separate events that in their own way reinforced the car culture in America.

To the thousands who strolled at the event, the cars were more than steel and chrome. They were memories.

Ostrander, of Rancho Mirage, was there with his pal, Dave Porter of Rancho Bernardo.

While admiring a sparkling 1948 Ford convertible, Ostrander told the story of how the two, who have been best buddies since second grade, would cruise a 1958 Chevy up and down Grand Avenue in Escondido on Friday and Saturday nights in high school.

“It wasn't much but we had fun,” Ostrander said. “It was one of the few things we had to do back then.”

To car buffs – or gearheads as they proudly call themselves – burning rubber is perfume. Rumbling exhausts are a symphony. High-buffed finishes are Rembrandts.

“It doesn't get any better,” Eric Danielson of San Diego said over the growl of a 1968 Chevy El Camino Super Sport driving past. “I love that sound.

“When you think of it, cars are so much of our lives, whether you are a gearhead and live and breathe cars or kids in high school with their first car.”

Here's where Marissa Pettit comes in.

Marissa, a junior at The Bishop's School in La Jolla, was among 30 teenage drivers to participate in the driving school yesterday that sought to instill confidence and caution in young motorists.

Students learned how engage split-second decision-making in emergencies. They were instructed on braking and skid control, how to manage oversteer and understeer, and how to avoid accidents entirely.

“It's better for them to see how they and their car will react in an emergency situation under controlled conditions,” instructor Skip Augustine said. “It builds their confidence, makes them safer drivers. . . . ”

Alyse Grier, 17, a junior at Steele Canyon High School in Rancho San Diego, had just gunned her car along the asphalt at nearly 60 mph when instructor Devin Charters told her slam on the brakes.

The tires screamed. The car wiggled and jerked to a stop.

“It was scary,” Alyse said. “But now I know how it feels and if I ever have to do that on the road I'll be more positive I can do it.”

The concept of the Tire Rack Street Survival program is to teach teenagers to understand how to control a vehicle and not just operate one, event coordinator Rich Gehering said.

An analysis released in February by AAA shows drivers ages 16 to 19 make up about 4 percent of California's driving population, but are at fault in about 14 percent of all fatal and injury crashes.

Nationwide, Gehering said, driver error is cited as the cause of 77 percent of fatal accidents involving 16-year-olds. That number is 70 percent for 17-to 19-year-olds.

Tracy Nishikwa of Encinitas, who accompanied his twin 16-year-old sons, said the statistics scare him.

“It's a crazy driving world so anything that can keep them safe is worth it,” Nishikwa said.